14 Aug 2006

News Release

Singtel accelerates convergence of voice & data communications to benefit enterprises

  • Connectivity

Simple, cost-effective networks integration from Meg@POP SIP Trunking 

Singapore, 14 August 2006 -- Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) today announced that it has launched Meg@POP1 (pronounced as ‘Mega-Pop’) SIP2 Trunking.   

The new service allows enterprise customers to integrate their voice and data networks effectively by connecting them directly to the domestic telephone network. 
 
Mr Wong Soon Nam, Singtel’s Vice President for Business Marketing, said:   “With Singtel Meg@POP SIP Trunking, customers can now enjoy a truly converged voice and data solution. Besides a quick, cost effective implementation of a single network for both voice and data communications, they can expect savings of up to 30 per cent for multiple-site deployment inSingapore.”
 
Today, Meg@POP customers already enjoy free ‘on-net’ VoIP calls within the company with Intranet connections. 
 
However, for ‘off-net’ calls outside of this network – calls to the fixed-line and mobile networks – customers have to pay for separate data links (such as Integrated Services Digital Network or ISDN-30) to deliver their VoIP calls from their IP-based corporate phone systems such as IP-PBX 3 (or IP-KTS). 
 
Singtel Meg@POP SIP Trunking removes the need for separate data links by enabling true convergence of voice and data communications.
 
Mr Wong said that it is timely for Singtel to be the first telco to introduce a SIP trunking service in Singapore.   “Enterprise customers are increasingly adopting IP telephony in their operations and this presents us with a sizeable and ready market for our new service,” he said.
 
According to Frost & Sullivan’s report on Asia Pacific Enterprise Technology Market 2005, the size of the IP-PBX market in Singapore was about $29.5 million in 2005.   It is expected to grow at about nine per cent, to reach $54.7 million in 2012. 
 
The new service also targets customers who are not on Meg@POP but are using Local Leased Circuits as tie-lines to link up their multi-site IP-PBX or IP-KTS, in addition to ISDN-30 links to the domestic telephone network.   They will be able to enjoy cost savings from an integrated network.
 
Note to editors:
 
  1. Singtel Meg@POP is a domestic IP-Virtual Private Network or IP-VPN solution.  Flexible, scalable and cost-effective, it is best suited for enterprises with multiple sites looking to streamline their Internet, Intranet, Extranet and application needs on a converged IP platform to cater to their voice, data and video needs.
  2. SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol, a standard protocol for initiating an interactive user session that involves multimedia elements such as video, voice, chat and gaming.
  3. PBX is a Private Branch Exchange and KTS is a Key Telephone System. IP-PBX and IP-KTS are telephone switching systems within a company that switch calls between Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP users on local lines within the company while allowing users to share a certain number of external phone lines.